Appeals court takes up sentence for star's son

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A lawyer for the son of actor
Michael Douglas hopes to convince a New York appeals court that he shouldn't have to spend a decade in prison for drug crimes.

Attorney Paul Shechtman says a 4 1/2-year sentence for
Cameron Douglas that was added to a five-year prison term he was already serving is “shockingly long.” The sentence was added after a drug infraction in prison. Prosecutors say the sentence is reasonable, given the many times Douglas has broken his word to feed a drug and alcohol abuse addiction that stretches to when he was 13.

Arguments are set for today.

Arrest in hoax celebrity calls

Police have arrested a juvenile they say is responsible for making prank calls that reported violence at the homes of
Justin Bieber and
Ashton Kutcher and led officers to respond in force at the stars' homes.

Los Angeles police on Tuesday declined to provide details about the suspect, who was arrested Dec. 10 and is no longer in custody. Prosecutors were reviewing a possible case against the person, who police say may be responsible for multiple hoax calls intended to provoke large police responses.

The practice was dubbed “swatting” because the calls are intended to send multiple officers, including SWAT teams, to a home.

Police said the person reported multiple people had been shot at Kutcher's home on Oct. 3 and reported shots fired at Bieber's home a week later. The celebrities were not home at the time, and officers determined that no one was injured.

The fake distress calls were made through an electronic system.

Miss Pennsylvania must pay pageant

A beauty queen who claimed this year's Miss USA contest was fixed has been ordered to pay the pageant organization $5 million for defamation.

In a decision signed last week, an arbitrator found that the comments from Miss Pennsylvania USA were false, harmful and malicious. Sheena Monnin had said that the five finalists had been selected in advance of the pageant's live telecast.

The arbitrator, Theodore Katz, said Monnin had two motives: “She was a disgruntled contestant who failed to make it past the preliminary competition,” and she objected to the pageant's decision to allow transgender contestants. He wrote that the way the contest is judged “precludes any reasonable possibility that the judging was rigged.”

Monnin resigned her state title after the pageant. Her allegations on Facebook and NBC's “Today” show cost the pageant a $5 million fee from a potential 2013 sponsor, Katz said.

Young Beckham is face of Burberry

Burberry has decided to brand it like Beckham.

The London-based fashion house says
Romeo Beckham – age 10 – is a new face of the clothing brand.

The son of soccer star
David Beckham and former Spice Girl
Victoria Beckham is featured in ads for Burberry's spring/summer 2013 collection.

Beckham wears one of Burberry's signature trench coats in the campaign, which also features models including
Cara Delevigne,
Edie Campbell and
Alex Dunstan.

Chief creative officer Christopher Bailey said Romeo was “a joy to work with and really stole the show” at the photo shoot.

Singer becomes

a pastor

Pop star of the 1960s and '70s,
Frankie Valens, has a new gig – as a preacher at a small church in western Kansas.

The Garden City Telegram reports that the singer, who had hits with “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” became the pastor of First Christian Church in Syracuse about a month ago.

Valens' father pastored the church in 1978-79.

After his recording career ended, Valens and his wife, Phyllis, toured the country performing gospel songs and skits at various functions.

The 70-year-old Valens says that he's never preached from a pulpit but that he says he's been testifying about his faith for years, so he is ready for the new challenge.

Navajo blankets set for auction

The late crooner
Andy Williams, famous for easy-listening hits such as “Moon River” and “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” from his beloved Christmas TV specials, had a passion for Navajo blankets. He assembled a museum-quality collection that's slated to be auctioned for more than $1 million next year.

The bold, colorful wool blankets decorated his home and office and also the Moon River Theater in Branson, Mo., where they hung “alongside large photographs of Mr. Williams with other musical legends of the 20th century like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand,” said David Roche, Sotheby's consultant on American Indian art.

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